The Line of the Sol Empress

Chapter 14

The greatest of evil operates by deception.

- Writings of the Sol Empress, Words of Faith

[Diego]

Diego smiled to himself. Opportunities like this did not come often. 

The present Empress Pro Tempore, Ali Zahara, had been promoted specifically because she was controllable and had little popular support, thus removing a barrier to Trade Consortium goals. Eventually, he hoped, the concept of an Empress would just fade away.

Genuine power came by leverage, granted by a willing populace. It confused Diego how much the people believed in the Sol Way, almost to the point of worship, and how much severing the direct genetic line weakened it, or so the public thought. It was just another monarchy of many in history, but this one had endured and became hugely popular, and there was power in the tradition. Thus, if he shaped the true Sol Empress heir to his will, he would become the most powerful man in the Commonwealth.

Now I have her.

Claire entered with a bottle of brandy and a snifter glass, retrieved from his personal starship docked within a hidden asteroid crevice. As she poured his drink, he tilted his head to leer at her shapely backside displayed in tight shiny leggings.

Perhaps later, I shall partake of her.

He tugged on a black suit jacket made of the finest and most expensive of fabric. Even on a remote outpost such as this, outward reminders of his power and influence were important.

Swiveling in the chair, he swung his legs up and plopped his custom-made leather boots atop the gray plas-steel table. Five more chairs surrounded the small table. While not nearly up to Diego's standard of luxury, this was the best office within Sanctuary, likely the Empress' office if she sought shelter here. A door in the back led to a small but comfortable bedroom. Now, like the new Empress herself, it was his to control. He grinned at the irony.

Display panels lined one end of the room but laid blank. After disconnecting the Sanctuary's quarrelsome AI, only lower-level environmental controls and local monitoring stations were available. But that would be enough.

A tall, muscular commando clad in black armor barged in, his boots thudding on the floor. Diego raised his eyebrows. "Do you have them, Mr. Asher?"

Asher motioned to two more commandos behind him, one woman with a snake tattoo on her neck and one bald-headed man. They marched in carrying three whimpering babies draped over their arms like bags of flour and dropped them on the table. The little ones howled, letting loose piercing discordant cries laced with fear. Claire put a hand to her mouth and choked back a sob, while the commandos merely frowned and looked away, annoyed by the imposition. Diego gritted his teeth at the grating chorus.

The scar across Asher's face moved as he narrowed his eyes and scowled. He barked, "I'm not killing any babies. You'll have to do that yourself."

Diego put his feet down to the floor and looked up to meet the mercenary's eyes. So, there are limits to his brutality.

Claire raced up, placing an arm on the table between Diego and the babies. Her eyes grew wide, and her lower lip trembled. "You can't... murder the babies. I won't let you!"

Diego jumped up from his chair, white hot anger surging through him like a solar flare. Disobedience could not be tolerated. Claire shrunk back from his blazing eyes. The back of his hand smacked hard against the side of her face, sending her down to her knees. Clutching her cheek, she sobbed.

He spat his words. "Know your place, Claire!"

Diego blew out a coarse breath and held up his hands. "Please excuse my anger. They will not be killed. I have other plans for the children." He turned toward Asher, speaking louder over the cries. "What of our other guests?"

The volume of the wails increased, each baby feeding off of the terror of the others. Asher opened his mouth to speak over the noise, then curled his lip and bared his teeth at the babies.

Diego huffed and rolled his eyes. He yelled, "Would someone get these rug-mutts to shut up!"

Claire stood up and wiped her eyes. A large red mark throbbed on the side of her face. "Sir, they are just babies. They are terrified."

Turning away, Diego waved his arm in a dismissing manner. "Get them out of here, Claire! Take them to my ship."

She sniffed, "Yes, sir."

Claire gathered all three little ones in her arms and slunk out of the room. She looked back one more time with moist eyes, then disappeared down the hallway.

*****

The gray metal door scraped against an uneven floor as it swung open. Diego, with his hands behind his back, stepped into the storage room. It was empty except for a woman curled on the floor in a back corner. Asher waited at the door with his arms folded.

Diego smiled, showing bright white teeth within a stylish beard. "Celeste Ciel, we meet at last. You have been quite the challenge to catch, but you must have known it was inevitable."

Celeste raised her head, looking through tangled dark hair. Diego knew she dared not attack him, or else the black collar with a blinking red light around her neck would deliver a debilitating shock.

Her eyes shot hatred and her graveled voice projected contempt. "Who are you?"

He bowed. "Gideon Diego. Director of External Affairs in the Trade Consortium. The Chairman sends his regards."

"What have you done with them?"

Diego put on a half grin. "I thank you for delivering the children to me."

Celeste rose to her feet, putting one hand to the wall to steady herself. Her voice fractured. "Please... Please don't hurt them. They are the true heir of Empress Iona. The Sol Way is a force of good for all humanity, a stabilizing influence that--"

He interrupted her with a dismissive wave. "I already know the trite justification of your cult, Priestess, or should I say, former Priestess? The children are no longer of your concern."

She pulled a seething breath and clenched her fists. "Why have you done all this? What worthwhile could you possibly gain?"

"Power and control, Ms. Ciel. The only things that matter, the only real virtues, the only true motivation. Unfortunate for you that you got in my way."

Celeste blazed contempt through narrowed eyes. "Your actions are truly evil. Does that not bother you?"

Diego sneered. "Spare me your morality. Ultimately, it is the most powerful that define it." He turned on his heels. "You have caused me enough trouble. We shall not meet again."

Celeste raised a hand and widened her eyes. "Wait. What... What about Moon?"

Oh, this is delicious. He looked back over his shoulder. "Moon? Do you mean Elijah Lee, that annoying hauler captain? I am sorry to say he did not make it. But that is all on you, Priestess. You doomed him when you got on his ship. Enjoy your short stay."

As Celeste collapsed to her knees, trembling with head in hands, Diego walked out of the room and slammed the door shut, then Asher slid home the lock with a clunk. Sounds of muffled crying filtered through the small mesh window set at the top of the door. A wide smile came to Diego's face.

Asher turned to him as they walked. "Why did you tell her he died?"

Diego lifted his eyes to the taller man. "To complete her defeat. It is a spoil of victory, Mr. Asher. Do you not revel in an opponent's despair?"

"I am in this for the money."

Diego nodded. "Of course. You and your team have done well. You may expect a sizable bonus." He stopped. "When will the nuclear device be ready?"

"We will offload it from the Talon when it returns. About six hours."

"Excellent, Mr. Asher. Celeste Ciel has one more violent act to perform, the destruction of Sanctuary. But unfortunately for her, she will be caught up in the explosion."